This bill, the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act,
strengthens the laws of our state.

It protects all of us, every Arizona citizen and everyone here in our
state lawfully.

And, it does so while ensuring that the constitutional rights of ALL in
Arizona remain solid -- stable and steadfast.

I will now sign Senate Bill 1070.

For weeks, this legislation has been the subject of vigorous debate and
intense criticism. My decision to sign it was by no means made lightly.

I have listened patiently to both sides. I have considered the
significance of this new law long into the night. I have prayed for
strength and prayed for our state.

I’ve decided to sign Senate Bill 1070 into law because, though many
people disagree, I firmly believe it represents what’s best for
Arizona. Border-related violence and crime due to illegal immigration
are critically important issues to the people of our state, to my
Administration and to me, as your Governor and as a citizen.

There is no higher priority than protecting the citizens of Arizona. We
cannot sacrifice our safety to the murderous greed of drug cartels. We
cannot stand idly by as drop houses, kidnappings and violence
compromise our quality of life.

We cannot delay while the destruction happening south of our
international border creeps its way north.

We in Arizona have been more than patient waiting for Washington to act.

But decades of federal inaction and misguided policy have created a
dangerous and unacceptable situation.

Yesterday, I announced the steps I was taking to enhance security along
our border.

Despite erroneous and misleading statements suggesting otherwise, the
new state misdemeanor crime of willful failure to complete or carry an
alien registration document is adopted, verbatim, from the same offense
found in federal statute.

I will NOT tolerate racial discrimination or racial profiling in
Arizona.

Because I feel so strongly on this subject, I worked for weeks with
legislators to amend SB 1070, to strengthen its civil rights
protections.

That effort led to new language in the bill, language prohibiting law
enforcement officers from "solely considering race, color, or national
origin in implementing the requirements of this section…"

The bill already required that it "shall be implemented in a manner
consistent with federal laws regulating immigration, protecting the
civil rights of all persons and respecting the privileges and
immunities of United States citizens."

While the general protection was already included, I believe the issue
is so important, we needed to make it CRYSTAL clear.

And I believe that we need to more than simply inscribe it in statute.

Words in a law book are of no use if our police officers are not
properly trained on the provisions of SB 1070, including its civil
rights provisions.

Importantly, this training will include what DOES – and DOES NOT –
constitute "reasonable suspicion" that a person is not legally present
in the United States.

Currently, AZPOST serves approximately 170 law enforcement agencies
encompassing over 16,000 sworn peace officers, 9,000 correctional
service officers, and 16 training academies.
The AZPOST Board of Directors includes the Arizona Attorney General,
the Directors of the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the Arizona
Department of Corrections, several county sheriffs, and local police
departments.

I am also asking the Board to make recommendations on possible
improvements to SB 1070 before the end of the year.

For 28 years in public service, I have worked without fail to solve
problems diligently and practically. I have done so always with an eye
toward civility, and always with the greatest respect for the rule of
law.

This new law is no different: As committed as I am to protecting our
state from crime associated with illegal immigration I am EQUALLY
committed to holding law enforcement accountable should this statute
ever be misused to violate an individual’s rights.

Respect for the rule of law means respect for every law. I have led
that way every day in every office I have ever held. That will not
change.

I have also spent my career in service to Arizona working to bring
people together, no matter the color of their skin and no matter the
depth of our disagreements.

This bill – and this issue – will be no exception.

While protecting our citizens is paramount, it cannot come at the
expense of the diversity that has made Arizona so great. Nor can safety
mean a compromise of freedom for some, while we, the many, turn a blind
eye.

We must acknowledge the truth – people across America are watching
Arizona, seeing how we implement this law, ready to jump on even the
slightest misstep.

Some of those people from outside our state have an interest in seeing
us fail.

They will wait for a single slip-up, one mistake, and then they will
work day and night to create headlines and get the face time they so
desperately covet.

We cannot give them that chance.

We must use this new tool wisely, and fight for our safety with the
honor Arizona deserves.

We must react calmly.

We must enforce the law evenly, and without regard to skin color,
accent, or social status.

We must prove the alarmists and the cynics wrong.

I know in my heart that this great state, my home for more than 40
years, is up to the task.

I believe every one of us wants to be safe, and none of us wants to
compromise on the subject of civil rights.

I believe we must love and honor those who fight beside us – just as we
must love and honor those who look and believe nothing like we do.

I believe Arizona, like America, is governed by laws.

Good laws … well-intentioned laws … laws that confer respect and that
demand respect in return.

In his third State of the Union address, President Theodore Roosevelt
said, "No man is above the law and no man is below it; nor do we ask
any man's permission when we require him to obey it. Obedience to the
law is demanded as a right; not asked as a favor."

So, let us move forward -- ever mindful of our rights …

-- ever faithful to the law … and ever conscious of our bond as
Arizonans, and the blessing we share together.